Demand for green hydrogen set to increase by 57%

Global green hydrogen production set to reach 5.7 million tonnes by 2030, according to consultancy firm Frost & Sullivan. 

Green hydrogen is produced through electrolysis and can be used in carbon-intensive sectors that are difficult to decarbonize through electrification alone.

However, currently, green hydrogen, meaning hydrogen that is produced through from renewable energy sources, accounts for less than 1% of the total hydrogen produced.

In the next 20 years, the global demand for green hydrogen is expected to increase significantly to 57%, creating the need for considerable infrastructure to handle production and delivery.

According to the researchers, this increase is largely due to increasing concerns about carbon emissions and the need to decarbonise the industrial, commercial, transport, and power sectors.

Swagath Navin Manohar, industry analyst at Frost & Sullivan: ‘The total decarbonization of certain sectors like transportation and power cannot be achieved solely by electrification.

‘This challenge can be addressed by green hydrogen produced through electrolysis from RES (renewable energy sources), wind and solar, in particular.

‘In the last five years, interest has grown in using green hydrogen as a low- or zero-carbon energy carrier. Many governments, including UK, Germany, Japan, and Singapore, have started acknowledging the fact that a green hydrogen-based economy could be the answer to growing concerns over carbon emissions, energy security, and climate change.

‘Technological institutions in various countries have already invested in pilot and demonstration projects related to the production, storage, distribution, and utilization of green hydrogen across different business verticals. For a green hydrogen economy to become a reality, technological and economical breakthroughs are needed to bring down the costs associated with the production, while a decisive regulatory framework is required to promote investments and support research and development (R&D) in the sector.’

In related news, Gavin Watson, Victoria Judd and Jared Franicevic, partner and counsels at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP write for Environment Journal about why the different forms of hydrogen give us hope for a net-zero future.

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